Fayetteville, Springdale propose online school offerings

Charter schools proposed by the Fayetteville and Springdale school districts would provide families with another option for online schooling.

Fayetteville proposes to open Fayetteville Virtual Academy for 100 fourth- through eighth-graders in August 2016. The school gradually would add grades to become a fully online public school for kindergarten through 12th grade.

Springdale proposes for its new School of Innovation to become a charter school when it moves to a permanent campus in east Springdale in August. The physical campus eventually will be for students in grades eight through 12, but the online curriculum would be available to any student in kindergarten through 12th grade in the Springdale School District.

"Students will be able to access education 24 hours per day, seven days a week, if that works best for them. This means that the typical school calendar and typical school hours will not always apply for every student," said Megan Witonski, associate superintendent for Springdale School District.

The Springdale school has about 400 students in the eighth and ninth grades at its campus now housed at the Jones Center. The school will add 10th grade in 2016-17.

Organizers of Fayetteville Virtual Academy and the School of Innovation submitted detailed applications this month to the Arkansas Department of Education. Both applications are for conversion charters that can draw students only from within the school district's boundaries, according to the department. The state Charter Authorizing Panel will review the applications in November.

Students in Northwest Arkansas have limited options for a fully online public school.

With Fayetteville Virtual Academy, students would spend four days a week at home going to school via computer, said Kim Garrett, an associate superintendent for Fayetteville School District. Students would have an opportunity once a week to meet in person with a teacher.

One innovation proposed is a day set aside each week for "field experiences," such as field trips to the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville or Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville or a virtual experience focused on a student's interests, Garrett said.

"We wanted them to still have connections with the community, to be involved with other kids," Garrett said.

The idea of field experiences came from other virtual schools from around the country that found students liked to work from home, but sometimes felt disconnected from other students, Garrett said.

Each child would have a personalized learning plan that provides a long-term outlook of a student's academic goals and interests, Garrett said. The plans also would help students know how fast they must work through a course to finish on time. The plans will help teachers know when students are ready to move ahead or when they are struggling and need more help.

Another expectation for students in the Fayetteville Virtual Academy is they will choose an area of specialization that interests them, Garrett said.

"They're going to take courses in that area," Garrett said. "We want to structure it so we can get students doing internships in their area of specialization. Those field experiences are going to help find those areas and help support specialization."

The School of Innovation has an expectation students would pursue industry-level certificates and earn associate degrees by the time they finish high school, according to the application. The school also would offer a dual language program for students to learn English and either Spanish or Mandarin Chinese.

"The application will build on what has started with the School of Innovation by allowing students to be instructed in a language other than English and to serve grades [kindergarten through grade 12]," Witonski said.

The school will move to a new campus in August, with students having options to go to school, take courses online or to blend the two, Witonski said.

Students would be able to advance through their courses based on competencies that list all the content students must master, Witonski said.

All students would be assigned a personal mentor in addition to a teacher, Witonski said. The mentor would meet regularly with the student in person or online. The mentor, teacher, parent and student would have access to an online learning management system to keep up with the student's progress.

Both online programs are targeted toward students in a variety of situations, including those who are in home school, those who are home bound for medical reasons and students who travel frequently, according to the school districts' applications.

"People are starting to think beyond their own boundaries and trying to recoup kids and families who have opted out for lack of flexibility or choice," said Denise Airola, from the Office of Innovation for Education at the University of Arkansas.

Across the country, 315,000 students took all of their courses online in 2013-14, according to a Keeping Pace with K-12 Digital Learning report by the Evergreen Education Group. The firm reported Arkansas had 1,334 students in online school, all enrolled in the Arkansas Virtual Academy in the 2013-14 school year.

"I'm encouraged that there are school districts interested in this," said Scott Sides, the head of school for Arkansas Virtual Academy, an open-enrollment charter school that began in 2007-08 with kindergarten through eighth grade.

The Arkansas Virtual Academy this year has 1,845 students in kindergarten through 11th grade and 51 instructional staff, Sides said. About 30 students attending Arkansas Virtual Academy live in Fayetteville, while about 50 students live in Springdale.

Students are able to interact with other students through scheduled events, Sides said. Nine activities are planned this fall for Northwest Arkansas students.

Students in Arkansas Virtual Academy spend at least six hours a day on school, with the amount of live instruction varying by grade level, Sides said. Teachers and parents work to understand and agree on the instructional schedule and on how to follow the student's progress.

"Structure is very important," Sides said. "For a family who may not have school at home, we would assist in preparing them to be successful with the student. It is a big commitment."

NW News on 09/22/2015